Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Blood Angels (section)

===Heavy Support===
*'''Predator:''' The Predator Annihilator has seen a decent buff with the changes to twin linked but now the autocannons are the real hero. Normal autocannons are better than ever and the predator's autocannons now fire 2d3 shots, amping up the firepower a lot. Expect autocannon with lascannon sponsons all round. base costs are cheaper and now autocannon and twin lascannon are the point to point equivalent 

*'''Baal Predator:''' You thought Twin-Linked Assault Cannons were good before, now get ready for 12 shots! The dakka loadout of AC and heavy bolters now spits out 18 shots a turn. The flame version is okay. Overcharged engines are now better advancing, but you want to be shooting, so eh. Make no mistake this tank is FAST and likely faster than what your opponent expects. If you use lucifer pattern engines, your total movement is at a minimum 18" and at most 24', but also count as advancing per the recent errata. Cheaper now too as of Chapter approved.

*'''[[Devastator Squad]]:''' Due to everyone getting Split-Fire, you can feel free to mix and match weapons however you like; that said, it's still a good idea to use weapons with similar ranges in case you need to focus your shots on a single opponent. Be sure to keep whoever has the best gun within 3" to the Sergeant, since his [[Signum]] will let that guy hit on a 2+. Finally, the Armorium Cherub has received a big buff- you can use it once per game to effectively give one model in the squad a second shooting phase. It's also an ablative wound for 5 points. Needless to say, you should always take the cherub. Unlike other Chapters, you can take Heavy Flamers on your Devastators (meaning the Sergeant will usually end up using his Signum on himself), turning them into close range specialists. Alternatively, give the sergeant a combi-flamer and pack the squad in rhino as a mobile flamer squad. Devastating against hordes such as [[Tyranids]] and [[Orks]]. Using the Signum on a Heavy Bolter Marine along with the armorium cherub and 1CP for hellfire shells will net you 2d3 mortal wounds hitting on a 2+. Per the new Faq, you can no longer do this. sad times.

*'''[[Hellblaster|Hellblaster Squad]]:''' Some pretty wicked [[dakka]] right here. Their Plasma Incinerators are 30" S7 AP -4 1 D normally, with the same boost as other plasma weapons if supercharged- more than enough to wipe out any TEQs they encounter. Run with any character giving re-rolls to hit (e.g. any of the Captain variations) to make these things a monster/tank killer if they get into rapid-fire range. But with the same inability to use transports as other Primaris Marines, that'll be a difficult task in itself. 
** Distinct from every other Chapter's Hellblasters in that they are not completely useless once they get locked in melee, thanks to the Red Thirst. Consider running a bubble of Hellblasters protected by the ''Standard of Sacrifice'' - you can fit close to 30x 32mm bases within a Primaris Ancient's 6" aura. Buff them with a Sanguinary Priest to make them even more stupidly durable (and wound MEQs that charge you on 2+...not a bad gunline for an assault-focused army).

*'''Eliminator Squad:''' The Primaris scalpel compared to the Primaris sledgehammer that is the Hellblasters. They have the same +2-for-being-in-cover camo-cloaks that Scouts get, and their bolt sniper rifles get three different ammo to use: Executioners will be your go-to (AP-2, Dd3, mortal wound in addition to normal damage on a wound roll of 6), Mortis because fuck your stealth units (AP-1, D1, ignores line of sight, ignores cover, gains +2 to hit-rolls), and Hyperfrag for overwatch (AP0, D1, but are heavy d3). All ammo types can target characters without them needing to be the closest units. 
** Consider a squad of 3 costing you 72 points. That gives you three shots that have the potential to put down the majority of characters in the game, and on average dice will kill a Commissar or Lord-Commissar (and equivalents) every turn. 
**While sniper scouts may outperform them en masse regarding overall mortal wound generation, these guys appear to have some nasty stratagems. Take a single unit, be patient, then blow a hole in someone's head come turn 3. Then hug an objective and clap your hands :)
** When comparing them and Scout Snipers, two things weigh in an Eliminator's favor offensively: Their Executioner round has AP-2 and does D3 damage. Added with their two wounds, easy ability to get a 2+ even against AP-1 firepower, and a variety of rounds that enable them to find use in almost any targeting situation, they are better in this role than Scouts.
** Also, a single unit has 6 T4 wounds on a 3+ with +2 on cover saves. This makes for a remarkably tough little nugget, and quite possibly some easy bait for long-range dakka. leave your opponent wondering if he should target your Land Raiders full of nasty bruisers, or your heavily dug in snipers which can kill his nasty bruisers. If they waste their heavy firepower on a 72 point unit while your terminators got all the closer, you should be in a good position. 
** As of the new codex release their base weapon now sits at S5 which increases your wound potential significantly. You also have access to Las-fusils which is a 36" range Thunder hammer as each shot sits at S8 AP-3 3 damage.
** This sergeant just got craftier as well as he can now forgo his shooting to add +1 to hit and to wound for the squad as well as after firing overwatch allow the squad to move before being charged which honestly if you're getting charged you did something wrong.

*'''Land Raider:''' Now that the vanilla Land Raider isn't forced to fire all its guns at the same target, it's gone from schizophrenic to an effective all-rounder. For example, you could use its lascannons to pop a vehicle and then follow up with the heavy bolters to wipe out an infantry squad. This is assisted further by the new Power of the Machine Spirit, which lets it ignore the normal penalties for moving and firing heavy weapons. While its transport capacity is still rather small compared to the other Land Raider variants, it still has just enough room to drop a 5-man squad of Assault Terminators. And with T8, 16 wounds, and a 2+ armor save it'll be a tough nut to crack even with anti-armor weaponry.
**277 points now with base gear after Chapter Approved 2019.

*'''Land Raider Crusader:''' As ever, the Hurricane Bolters will shred any infantry within 12" - you practically have two Tactical Squads' worth of bolter shots at that range, thanks to Rapid Fire. The Frag Assault Launchers also help in regards to transporting and supporting its cargo, since it causes D3 mortal wounds on a 4+ if it finishes a charge within 1" of an opponent. But whatever you do, take the multi-melta. Neither the assault cannons nor the hurricane bolters have enough AP to significantly reduce a MEQ's armor save, and anything with T7 or more (e.g. other vehicles) won't even get their paint scratched. It carries 16 models, so it's still your best choice for transporting Terminators and other larger units. Costs 264 points after Chapter Approved

*'''Land Raider Redeemer:''' Similar to the Crusader, but trades off the hurricane bolters' volume of shots for the flamestorm cannon's greater strength, higher AP, and improved damage per shot. While you'll have to get in close to make the most of it, the Frag Assault Launchers let you use this to your advantage as you burn down the heavier infantry. Though the flamestorm cannons can threaten lighter vehicles, you should still add the multi-melta to be on the safe side. Carries 12 models. Like all Land Raiders, the Redeemer has one massive Achilles heel - tarpits. Of course, anything that wants to charge this beast is going to get BBQ'd, but a canny player has many ways to avoid overwatch entirely (charging from out of LOS, consolidating into melee, etc). Costs 284 points after Chapter Approved.

*'''Repulsor Executioner:''' Jury's out on this on. 6 Capacity with some big guns. 284/293 Base depending on the gun, +12 points with the two options. Steep price, but it fires the main gun twice (when you move 0-under half current M Value). One is a Heavy 2 72" Monster at S10 AP -4 3-6 damage on a D6 cannon and the other is what you'd expect from plasma, but with D6 shots and starts at S8 AP -4 (pumping up to S9). This baby also gets a heavy onslaught Gatling cannon stock as well as a few other guns you sometimes forget to fire (seriously, there are a lot), including a Twin Heavy Bolter. It can also be upgraded with an Ironhail Heavy Stubber and Icarus Launcher if you feel inclined to do so. It has 18 S5 AP-1 shots and a metric ton of various S4 shots, some S7 as well, allowing it to reliably mulch opposing infantry. The Heavy Laser Destroyer can tear through enemy armour reliably and the Macro Plasma can remove medium and heavy infantry. 
**Properly supported, this thing can annihilate swathes of the enemy army. A Captain (better yet, a Chapter Master) and Lieutenant will never be a bad idea. And if you bring two of them, they can quickly turn the tides of conflict. However, it is a major investment in points and dollars. You need to maximize your opportunities to get the most out of it. If you can, then an Executioner or two is the sort of heavy fire support the army craves. If you can't... Well, Marines are used to losing in 8th anyway-Don't be stupid, get the Lieutenant and bring a Techmarine!!!!
**Whenever you make such an investment on big units, you must consider everything you are paying for. While the Heavy Laser Destroyer is a very potent weapon which will serve you well, this particular weapon loadout will require a play style that ignores most of the other benefits of the unit by hanging back and remaining fairly static. Taking the Plasma loadout, however, saves points and requires closer positioning of the tank. That may seem foolhardy, but this vehicle is loaded with close/mid-range weaponry that complements the plasma very well, while still being able to deliver a 6 man Primaris infantry unit on top of repulsor fields. Thus, this writer regards the Executioner as a very gun laden Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), not a true battle tank. You can take a battle tank's weapons loadout, and certainly, that may be necessary at times, but this tanks true calling is in direct support of infantry. The executioner is really just a beefed up standard repulsor and really should be used in a similar fashion. Its slow-moving double shooting rule is perfect for sitting behind a wall of aggressors marching up the board as both units extract maximum firepower potential from hardy buffing characters.

*'''Vindicator:''' Changes to blast have hit vindicates hard. Very hard. Yes it still does a lot of damage, but gone are the days of playing "how much of your army will I be removing today."

*'''Whirlwind:''' Despite the changes that have hit the vindicator so hard, the whirlwind is improved, losing out on weight of hits and gaining improved strength and penetration.

*'''Hunter:'''  Shoots flyers with a potent missile weapon. 

*'''Stalker:''' Shoots flyers with 2 tri-barreled autocannons.  
 
====Forge World====
*'''(Forge World) Deimos Pattern Vindicator Laser Destroyer:''' This thing brings to the battlefield the unique Laser Volley Cannon, which is a 2 shots Lascannon with a few twists: they only have a range of 36" instead of 48, they do a fixed 3 damages (so a little less than the average you do with 1D6) and can be overcharged to go to S10 AP-5 with a fixed 6 damages. The trade-off is that if they shoot that way, they take 3 mortal wounds on each rolls of 1. If it does not move, however, it can shoot twice, but not in overcharged mode. Also, note that it gets +1T and +1 wound compared to a predator but moves 2" less. All in one, this tank is kind of odd. It costs roughly the same as a classic predator with a full lascannon setup and can pump 4 shoots if it stands still, for an average amount of wounds slightly lower. Its overcharged mode might give you an edge on T5/T9-10 opponents or target with extremely high armor saves, so what you lose in range you get it back in versatility, at price: 2 shots against 4 and the risk of wounding yourself. Between increased durability, shorter range and movement, and varying fire modes, it is hard to draw a clear line between the Predator Annihilitor and the Vindicator Laser destroyer in term of battlefield role, but the latter being clearly less efficient while on the move, you might want to invest your money in other Forge World models.
*'''(Forge World) Relic Land Raider Proteus:''' The Proteus has two twin Lascannons like the vanilla LR, but it can choose to take a multi-melta or twin heavy flamer instead of a twin heavy bolter. (There's also an option for a single heavy bolter, but why would you even use that?) But its main draw is the Explorator Augury Web; taking it reduces the Proteus' transport Capacity to 6, but it prevents anyone from deep striking within 12" of the Proteus. Conveniently enough, that happens to be melta range for the multi-melta so suicide melta squads won't be able to get near it.
*'''(Forge World) Land Raider Helios:''' Also has twin lascannons, but it brings along a Helios Launcher- a Heavy weapon that fires 2d6 autocannon-equivalent shots (albeit only 1 damage) that can fire without LoS. A decent combo of the Whirlwind's different missile types, and it can transport 6 models too.
*'''(Forge World) Land Raider Prometheus:''' A fun toy for your Warlord- if he's embarked within it, one of the Stratagems played on your turn costs 1 less CP to use. It doesn't reduce the cost below 1, but it helps. As an added bonus, its attacks all ignore cover saves, which make its 24!!!!!! heavy bolter shots absolutely terrifying to light infantry. Carries 10 models.
** This is tantalizing, as the Blood Angels rely on unleashing many stratagems in the beginning of the game, while your terminator captain is cruizin up to the bad guys with his favorite blend of CC killers. 
*'''(Forge World) Land Raider Achilles:''' The rage-inducing and expensive Achilles is back in a big way in 8th ed. T8 with 19 wounds, a 2+ save, and a 4++ Invuln save for good measure makes this raider insanely tough. The Achilles is armed with a hull-mounted Quad Launcher and 2 sponson-mounted TWIN Multi-Meltas (Heavy 2). The Quad Launcher can fire Shatter shells at Heavy 4 S8 AP-2 3 Damage, or Thunderfire shells at Heavy 4D3 S5 AP0 1 Damage (and can target units not visible to the Achilles). It can also grab a hunter-killer missile and a Storm Bolter for a little extra dakka. This weirdness is compounded by a transport capacity of 6, including terminators and jump pack models. Seriously, go look up a picture of this thing.
*'''(Forge World) Mortis Dreadnought:''' Your go to dakka dread. It costs 5 points more than a standard dreadnought, with the exact same profile, but it brings the option to double down on weapons the regular dread cant. You can take a pair of twin bolters, autocannons, or lascannons, or a pair of regular missile launchers, assault cannons, multi-meltas, or heavy plasma cannons. All good choices for laying down firepower, with the best guns depending on what you plan to shoot and how many points you can spare.
**For the classic twin autocannon rifleman setup, you're usually better off with a regular dread. They have the same stats for a few points less, and it's the only gun the normal dread can double upon. Only take an autocannon Mortis if you really need heavy support instead of an elite. Unlike the Contemptor version, it has no degrading stats.
*'''(Forge World) Siege Dreadnought:''' This Dread specializes in short-range firepower, coming stock with an Inferno Cannon that acts as a souped-up heavy flamer (but costs more than a twin heavy flamer, for reasons) and a seismic hammer with built-in meltagun that suffers from a -1 to hit but will wreck anything that gets hit. With the ability to re-roll all to wound rolls of 1 in the Fight phase when targeting a BUILDING or a unit with a movement stat of 0", its niche as a building killer should be obvious.
*'''(Forge World) Contemptor Mortis Dreadnought:''' Better than the standard Mortis in every way, from the BS 2+ to the 5++. Apart from that, it can do everything the regular Mortis can, only better.
**Since the v1.1 FAQ/Update, Contemptor Mortises can once again take Cyclone Missile Launchers. The downside is, like their Terminator counterparts, they're still 50 fucking points for either Heavy 2D3 S4 AP0 D1 OR Heavy 2 S8 AP-2 D6D. With this in mind, however, it could be decent now that EVERYTHING has Split-Fire, and you're no longer hitting Flyers on 6s, but only 3+(!!) with at least 6W or more. Churn out some dakka with your two Kheres Assault Cannons (which, keep in mind, can ALSO fire at two different targets, as they are considered 'two identical weapons', and then slam a couple of Krak missiles at a Flyer that screams overhead. Or a tank, I guess, if that's your thing.
**The Contemortis (for short) with cyclone launcher and lascannons is basically superior to the Deredeo with its lascannon battery, costs less, and fires more shots. And a Predator annihilator, for that matter. But that's against vehicles, it's pretty much the same. 
*'''(Forge World) Relic Leviathan Dreadnought:'''  [[RAPE|'''I AM THE DESTROYER OF ALL THAT EXISTS, THE ANATHAEMA OF LIFE, HATRED AND WRATH GIVEN PHYSICAL FORM, I AM THE FUCKING LEVIATHAN DREADNOUGHT. POINT ME AT ANYTHING, AND IT WILL DIE, FROM THE LOWEST OF GUARDSMEN TO THE BIGGEST OF TITANS.''']] ''ahem'', enough of that nonsense! But Mr. Leviathan does have a few good points. The Leviathan Dreadnought is easily one of the deadliest single models in the entire game, barring actual ''Titans'', packing a series of quite frighteningly powerful weapons that can make short work of virtually anything. For Defenses, it packs a Strength and Toughness of 8, with a 2+/4++ saves the line, and a whopping 14 wounds. In addition, it actually received a fairly decent points decrease in 8th edition, having dropped in cost by 50 whole points even after all wargear is accounted for. A few things were lost though, as the Leviathan no longer has his frag-launchers or his rack of hunter-killers, but in exchange, his whole loadout has gotten huge buffs.
** '''The Cyclone Melta''' is capable of destroying a Land Raider in a single volley, while being able to shave off 15 wounds from a Knight(Leaving it sufficiently weakened that it will no doubt then die to being slammed with 15 additional wounds in melee).
** '''The Storm Cannon''' now has a whopping 10 shots, which do 2 damage each. While not quite as horrifyingly deadly against vehicles as the Cyclone Melta, it exchanges sheer output for more reliability. This can be useful since 2-wound weapons occupy a fair niche in the current meta, for their ability to 1-shot the numerous amount of Multi-wound models, without suffering from Overkill. This makes it the perfect weapon for dealing with models like Terminators.
** '''The Grav-Flux Bombard''': Now your dedicated horde killer. It deals 1d3 shots and gains an additional 1d3 shots for every 5 models present in the target unit. Which means the Leviathan can get a whopping 11d3 shots when targeting a mob of Conscripts, or [[Rape|22d3]] if equipped with two of these. This essentially means that the grav bombard is your designated weapon loadout if you expect to go up against Infantry Blobs, as it can fry an entire 50 man squad each and every turn. Fair to note, however, being strength 9, and dealing 5 damage to vehicles and monsters, and no armor save is gonna be stopping it. So it functions quite well against large targets AND blobs.
*'''(Forge World) Whirlwind Hyperios:''' While it's still best used against aircraft because of its +1 to hit against flyers (and -1 against everything else), Heavy 2d3 S8 AP-2 D3 D isn't something to take lightly.
*'''(Forge World) Rapier Carrier:'''  A dirt-cheap source of heavy bolter fire, which can also be used as a cheap counter to "light" superheavies like Knights if taken with Laser Destroyers or act as artillery if you use the Quad Launchers (added in the FAQ). Now coming stock with a 12-shot quad bolter at 3/4 of what you pay for a devastator squad armed with same, on a fairly sturdy chassis. Fills out the heavy support requirements of a Spearhead detachment really nice, but keep the gunners safe or it gets auto-removed just like the Thunderfire Cannon.
**<s>Quad Heavy Bolters are terrible, costing more than 2 twin heavy bolters for the same guns.</s>
**The average damage from a laser destroyer is less than its weight in lascannons - 183.33% of the damage for 240% of the price; the difference in strength will never matter against practical targets, while the improvement to AP will come up and won't make up the difference.
**As a result, hands down your best bet is always going to be the Quad Launcher.
***In Shatter mode this will, for 45 points, outdo two lascannons for 50 points, as losing a point each in strength and AP is more than made up for in doubling its attacks, and the difference in damage is not only slight, it also deals predictable damage, making it invaluable in many contexts, such as shooting Quantum Shielding.
**In Thunderfire mode, this will shoot what amounts to 8 heavy bolter shots, losing a point of AP in exchange for indirect targeting and improved range. This is inferior to the Quad Heavy Bolter option, so you should regard it as a bonus to the Shatter mode, rather than a good gun in its own right, and take this gun for the purpose of killing off enemy heavies, not massacring enemy lights.